Bare shoulders get a Utah reporter kicked out of court

Ogden (UT) Standard-Examiner reporter Morgan Briesmaster was told by court security that her sleeveless blouse – the one shown above – wasn’t acceptable and that she wouldn’t be allowed in the courtroom. She then put on a colleague’s winter coat and returned to the hearing. The reporter explains what happened next:

Upon walking inside, we were once again greeted by security. Only this time they said, “It’s pretty warm outside to be wearing a jacket.” To which I said, “It sure is.” I sat in the courtroom for two hours with [colleague Ben] Lockhart’s jacket on; not once was it removed.

Executive editor Andrew Howell says reporters covering the court have seen other people in hearings wearing worse than what Briesmaster had on, “so we aren’t sure why she was singled out.”

There is no dress code posted online, but it is understood tank tops, shorts are obviously not appropriate. What she wore I would compare to professional business attire worn by courtroom employees.

I’m curious if she would have come in with a low-cut top, which seems to be more common of an unenforced dress code issue in the courts from my experience, if they would have asked her to put a cami on or just let her walk like the rest.